Shin'etsu Main Line

The Shin'etsu Main Line (Japanese信 越 本 线, Shin'etsu - Honsen ) is operated by the East Japan Railway Company Japanese railway line which runs between Takasaki in Gunma Prefecture and Niigata in Niigata Prefecture. The name of the track is made up of the two old provincial names of the prefectures of Nagano (信 浓, Shinano ) and Niigata (越 后, Echigo ), which are connected to each other by the railway line.

Sections

Originally running between Takasaki and Niigata Shin'etsu Main Line was interrupted by the completion of the Nagano Shinkansen in 1997 between Yokokawa stations and Shinonoi.

The JR East introduced on the basis of parallel route an operation between Karuizawa and Shinonoi. This stretch has since operated as Shinano- line from the private Shinano tetsudō.

The section between Yokokawa and Karuizawa, which led over the Usui Pass was shut down with the opening of the Nagano Shinkansen. This section was legendary because of its slope of 66.7 ‰. By 1963 this road section was designed as a rack railway, as the former locomotives were not able to cope with this slope. Only with the introduction of powerful electric locomotives of JNR locomotive EF63 series rack was disassembled.

Thus, the Shin'etsu Main Line is now operationally divided into three parts:

In addition to the passenger the Shin'etsu Main Line is a major freight railway line.